You can create anywhere. Art doesn't have to be made in a posh studio or hip airy loft. Creating can happen on a sidewalk, in your living room, at a coffee shop, on the train -- it's more about setting the intention of creating and then doing it than creating the perfect space.

That said, for some people, setting up a creative space is actually an important part of self-expression catalyzing inspiration. Putting effort into the space you create in can help support your creative process and give you a setting that is a creation in itself. A bird could lay eggs in any old spot, but instead they spend time and effort creating a beautiful and safe space for their babies to be born.

​Every bird's nest is different. How will you design yours?

Finding your vision

What drew you to set up an area specifically for creating? Whether you are creating a crafting corner or a professional art studio, the best place to start is by identifying the core purpose in your vision. What do you want to use this space for? What is your intention? Maybe your corner is expressly for knitting. Perhaps you like to draw and also are interested in trying new art media. Maybe it's a music and poetry room.

​Or you might have no clue what you want to create, and would like a space to experiment and reacquaint yourself with creating -- that's an intention too. ​

You might discover the more thought and care you put into your space, the more fruitful your creative ventures are likely to be.

Close your eyes and imagine yourself creating. What colors are around you? Is the space cozy and filled with inspirational objects? Or is it wide open and empty, free of clutter? Are there plants? Candles? Collage boards? What kind of materials to you have around you?

If you find yourself feeling stuck in the vision process, I would suggest making a Pinterest board or at least googling some images of creative spaces. If you go through and pin enough images, you may start to notice similar themes coming up. "Ah, I guess I like the idea of a white room with lots of plants!" Or, "I love that kind of paper organization!" Or maybe your board is full of brightly colored rooms. Pinterest can also give you a lot of DIY ideas for organization and style.

Ideally you will be able to identify what you want to use your space for, and have a general idea of the kinds of spaces that make you feel inspired.

Find a Space

If you are setting this up in your house, start by finding the right space. Do you want to create in a space that is separate from other people, where you can really focus on your internal process? Or, would rather be out in the open, where you can create while still in the same room as others. Different things will work for different people. Spend some time thinking about how you best work.

Your space could be an entire room, a basement, or a corner. I've had creative corners that were as small as an easel and a stool and not much more. How much space you need will depend on what you are planning to create, and what is available to you. Your space could be as simple as a comfy chair, a bowl of yarn, and a side table, or as elaborate as a large studio with walls of materials, an easel, a drawing table, and a meditation space.

What color do you want your space? You could paint the walls to reflect a certain energy you would like to access while creating. Some colors may seem calming to you, while others may be invigorating.

You will want to consider the lighting in the space as well. I personally prefer natural lighting with some soft incandescent accent lights when I am painting. Some people prefer brighter space for creating and may like a room with bright overhead lights. String lights can bring a magical ambiance to a room.

Getting Materials

Think about what kinds of objects you will need in your space. If you need a table, think about how big a surface you will need. Will you need a very flat surface to draw on? Some tables have grooves in them, and can get in the way of drawing.

Make a list of essential art materials you will need for your chosen media. ​

If you are new to art-making and want a basic set of art materials to get you started, you might think about getting some of these materials:

watercolor paint and brushes

a set of colored pencils

a set of 12 oil pastels

a set of 12 chalk pastels

a package of sculpey

a few dark ink pens

graphite drawing pencils

drawing paper

watercolor paper

some magazines (for collage)

construction paper

white glue

Of course, if you have the means you can also go to your local art supply store and simply pull different materials that inspire you, and just play.

Organization

Once you have your space, and your essential materials, you have to think about how you are going to organize all of them! Refer to your initial vision of your space. Do you want materials to be put away out of sight when you are not using them? Or do you like to have everything at an arm's reach. For me personally, I like to keep all of my materials organized, but also easily accessible. I like to be able to see everything I could possibly work with.

Open Mind Holistics art therapy studio

Open Mind Holistics art therapy studio

Some people like to organize with open baskets and bins, while others like everything more contained and labeled in closed cabinets and drawers. Play around and see how you like things to be arranged. This arranging in itself is a form of collage!

Images from goo.gl/BupFUY

Inspiration

Okay, you have your space, your materials, your organization... What will you surround yourself with while you are creating? What inspires you? Think back to your initial vision. What would help make you feel safe, calm, and inspired while you are creating?

Here are a few ideas to consider adding to your space:

Plants -- Add something living to your space. Make sure this is something you can commit to taking care of, as there's nothing that kills creativity more than a dead plant. Succulents and other low-commitment plants may be a good option. Even fake plants may work for you!

Color -- Make your art space into a piece of art! Paint the walls a color that makes you feel inspired. Add a bright rug or pillows. Maybe some red curtains or a brightly colored doorknob.

Images -- Add past artworks to your walls, Put up a cork board with different images that inspire you. Tack up pictures of people or places that evoke emotion and make you want to create!

Quotes -- Some people are very motivated by quotes and affirmations. Find some that inspire you and consider placing them on walls, on jars, on a table...anywhere in sight where you can notice them and feel inspired.

Creative Altar -- You may be inclined to contain your inspiration into a creative altar where you can place candles, gems, meaningful items or images, and seasonal/natural items (flowers, leaves, shells etc) and have them all in one place for you to look at and interact with. This can look however you would like! Have fun! You may even decide to make some of your own rituals around art-making... lighting sage or incense, putting on a creative music playlist, setting an intention by your creative altar, etc.

For beginners and seasoned artists alike, creating can be a difficult (though worthwhile) internal struggle.

​When you sit down to draw, paint, compose, etc., thoughts may come into your mind that try to tear you down emotionally: thoughts saying the depiction isn't good, that you are wasting your time, that you are a phony, that you can never finish projects, that you will ruin it, that you have nothing to say, etc.

Sometimes it's enough to just notice these thoughts to let them melt away, and other times they can be very persistent and even feel cruel. They can make you feel stuck, blank, and anxious about creating.

Befriending the Inner Critic

Many authors have written about the importance of transforming your inner critic into an ally, rather than a foe. In Feeding Your Demons, Lama Tsultrim Allione (2008) writes, "By befriending that which scares us most, we find our own wisdom" (p. 22). This quote is such a great reminder of the value of all the parts of the self. Through the willingness to look we can find purpose.

In Art is a Way of Knowing, Pat B. Allen (1995) suggests that getting to know your inner critic is an extremely important part of the creative process. Allen writes, "the critic holds our deepest fears; resistance shows us we are on the right track. If we shift our perception, our critic can be seen as trying to spare us the pain of change, the shame of fear" (Allen, 1995, 48). It is in changing our relationship to this voice that self-awareness blossoms and creative doors begin to open.

When negative thoughts arise, see if you can witness them from a distance. Are these are thoughts you have in other parts of your life? Do they more often come up when you are creating? What is the underlying message? Rather than banishing negative thoughts, be curious about them! ​

Earley & Weiss (2013) further write of the inner critic as an important part of the self that can be interacted with and learned from. They discuss the many different forms this voice can take and the variety roles the inner critic can play throughout your life. What role has your inner critic played in your life?

Engaging with your own internal creative process is the first step toward authentic expression. You may want to seek out a therapist or art therapist to help you untangle how this plays out for you personally.

The internal struggle with negative self-talk often surfaces during art therapy sessions. I've worked with kids younger than seven who have told me they "can't draw," or who doubt their ability to express "correctly." These internal judgments start young and persist throughout our lives until we take a good look at them. Creating intentionally can help, as can working with a therapist.

​If you are feeling stuck or blocked in your creative process, check out the last blog post with some ideas to get you started. While you try some of these out, be interested in your internal dialogue. See if you can notice when your inner critic speaks out -- what might you have to say in return?

I want to first reflect on the topic of intentional creativity: the process of expressing artistically with primary focus on your own creativity, rather than focus on others' or self judgements of your final product. This is art-making to feed your soul, to nourish your deeper self, to express and explore your personal experience. It is meaningful art-making.

With a blank canvas, how do you even begin? Whether you are new to art-making, or are just feeling creatively blocked, sometimes the overwhelming possibilities of creating can feel paralyzing.

This next part will give you some ideas about how to get started creating with intention if you are feeling stuck or overwhelmed. While you try some of these ideas out, be interested in your internal dialogue.

How can you tap into your creativity? What inspires you?

Here are some general suggestions to help you get out of your head and into your process when creating. Before you begin, check in with your intentions. Why are you making art in the first place? What is it that is driving you?

This list is just a start, as inspiration is a huge topic! Some of these you will look at and say, duh, and others are more out there. See if there are one or two ideas that resonate for you and leave what doesn't feel right. Try to notice your inner process as you begin to create.

1. Set up an inspirational creating space

Surround yourself with objects, quotes, colors that help you feel feelings. Make your space reflect you in whatever way feels appropriate. Change your mind state with the addition of music. Add candles, living plants, soft fabric, anything that brings you in connection with your body and your environment. (More on creating a studio space/corner in another blog post -- stay tuned.)

​2. Connect with others trying to access their creativity

Sometimes it's helpful to have a creating buddy! This is ideally someone who is on the same page with you in starting their creative process, who​is supportive rather than competitive. Having a creative pal not only can help keep you motivated, but also can be a beautiful way to build relationship and community. Social media can be a helpful resource: make a creative meetup group, or facebook event... we can all help each other in this process.

3. Kee​p an inspiration notebook

This can be a small notebook for the occasional quote or notation, or a larger sketchbook for more a elaborate visual journal. You could even turn an old used book into an altered book journal (check out this pinterest board of altered books -- they can be very beautiful and inspirational tools!). Your everyday experiences are meaningful, and can hold so much emotional and symbolic content. Your life is important and sometimes it is helpful to note significant moments or observations. ​

4. Free-write

​Answer this prompt: My life is made meaningful by ______. Maybe free-write a page on this idea (or more!). Write as quickly and continuously as you can to avoid self-censoring. The answers may help inspire your next expression. Free-writing in general can be an amazingly helpful tool for inspiring creative ideas. Here's a link to 365 free-writing prompts to help get you started. ​

5. Scribble drawing

​This is a technique developed by art therapy pioneers Margaret Naumberg (1987) and Florence Cane (1951), who used scribbling as a catalyst to overcome creative blocks and bring forth unconscious material. The basic idea is simple. Scribble on a piece of paper (eyes closed for a different experience), and then look for an image in the scribble to elaborate on. This is a great technique to get you out of your head and onto a page because you must forgo control of the product of the artwork to do the initial scribble. Cathy Malchiodi (1998) notes that scribbling is a great way to make spontaneous imagery. Her book, The Art Therapy Sourcebook, highlights many more ideas for spontaneous art-making, and numerous other art therapy-related activities to try at home -- highly recommended.

6. Get messy!

Paint with your fingers and toes. Use sidewalk chalk and water outside. Let yourself drip or splatter art materials. Throw paint at a canvas.Often our inner critic is concerned with controlling the art -- in some situations, the chaotic and uncontrollable nature of getting messy with the art can help to overcome creative blocks. Let yourself play. Again, this may be emotionally triggering for some, so use with caution or with an art therapist!

7. Experiment with different art media

Sometimes our feelings of being stuck are tied to a specific art material. We may have fewer expectations of how we should be working with a new material, and so can be more open to whatever we are inspired to create. For example, if I feel stuck trying to think of things to draw, I might pull out some clay or sculpey and see what happens there. The novelty of a different material can help you play and explore the material, rather than analyze the technique you are using. ​

8. Create artwork in response to something

If you are stuck on what to create, you might consider responding to something in your life -- an event, something in the news, a past piece of artwork you've created. Think about your feelings surrounding the issue or image, and let your ideas flow. A great way to make a series of artwork is to take one art piece you've already created and respond directly to that image, enlarging or expanding on part of the image, or even making "what comes next" in response to the image. ​

9. Dream Journal

This is an amazing way to get in closer touch with your internal world. Your dreams are full of images and symbols that can be useful to explore if you can remember them! In No More Secondhand Art, Peter London (1989) writes, "Every single one of us is a craftsman of dreams; our dream images are always perfect and evocative. Visual thinking and visual imagery is our native language." Dream journals are a beautiful way to tap into your own symbolic landscape. Recording dreams can also help you remember your dreams more often. I like to chose one image from a dream that sticks out to me and sketch it out, then free write around the image. Often this helps personal realization to emerge, and may even inspire a creative piece. Much of my personal artwork is in response to such dream imagery.

10. Active Imagination

This is the intentional encountering of your own internal imagery through guided or self-guided meditation. Carl Jung (1969) developed the concept of active imagination as a means to engage with his internal symbolic world, and it is a technique that is extremely effective at accessing your personal symbols. Remember when you were a kid, and playing pretend was an everyday pastime? Well, your imagination still exists in a real way as an adult, though it may be a bit rusty when it comes to symbolic imagery. Let's say you had a dream about a boat last night, your might close your eyes and imagine this boat -- looking around and seeing who or what is on the boat? What does the sky look like? What is in the distance on the horizon? is there anything in the water? Letting your imagination move you through your images and giving yourself permission to be open to anything that emerges. This can be a great catalyst of imagery for your artwork, and can also result in more personal awareness and understanding. Here's a link to a great article on active imagination with some exercises to try.

Creating is an extension of yourself, and sometimes you may need to get to know yourself a bit better to feel comfortable in the process. See what is helpful for you in your creative ventures.

​Please feel welcome to leave a comment if you have any thoughts or ideas. What inspires you?

Our next blog post will explore what happens when we start to feel stuck in our artwork, and how to address the inner critic.

Making things is hard. I'm busy. Why make art?

In Part One we established that as a human, you are creative and have the capacity to make meaningful expressions. Great! So you CAN make art -- let's talk about why you might CHOOSE to.

Okay, you have work to do, kids to take care of, bills to pay, events to plan.... You're busy, I get it. Why would you make time to "create?" I don't think many people believe art-making is bad. Still, I do see many people minimize the value of creating in their lives.

The creative process easily connects you with the unconscious aspects of the self. It's a lot more difficult to access these shadowy parts using logical reasoning, as they function on a nonverbal-symbolic level. The point is, the creative process is essential to developing self-awareness.

I'm going to make a hard case for creating. I'm hoping after reading this you'll have a better idea of how art-making might specifically help you on a mind-body-spirit level.

When I say mind, I mean the process through which you are aware of your world -- your thoughts, feelings, perceptions. Art-making helps develop engagement with and exploration of your own consciousness.

"Um, I'm already conscious..." you might say, why would I need to develop this at all?

Yes, yes. And... your mind is way more vast than you may give it credit for. Intentional art-making can help bring thoughts and feelings into consciousness that were formerly unconscious, AND incredibly, it allows you to interact and with these intangible experiences in a concrete and tactile way!

HOW COOL, RIGHT?

Many art therapists before me have written about this phenomenon; it is the basis for how art therapy works! Edith Kramer, notably, wrote extensively about the healing process of transforming and containing internal experience through creating and artistic sublimation (Kramer, 2000).

A personal example: I recently created a painting of an elephant on a cracked and dry desert with a broken tusk and an emerald headdress. When I started making the painting, I had been rushing around trying to complete a thousand tasks, and not really aware of my feelings around what was happening in my life. I sat down to paint with only an urge to paint an elephant. I didn't have any clue where it was going to go beyond that. Some weeks later after finishing the painting, I had developed a very strong emotional connection to it that I didn't quite understand. I for sure could not communicate the experience. My training as an art therapist made me want to dig a little deeper. Over time and engagement with the image, I came to understand the painting as not only a self-image, but a complex representation of my experiences with clients at the time.

My elephant painting reflected to me a dynamic in my busy life that I wasn't even aware was happening.

​This ended up being very useful to me in acknowledging my experience at the time, and helped me be more present and helpful with my clients.

How can art-making access these deep places?

How does art bring inner truths to light? Here are some things I have learned as an art therapist:

Art-making prompts you to represent experience symbolically, with color and texture, giving a visual language that can be more articulate than words alone. This can result in expressions that are incredibly meaningful and guiding! Art therapy pioneer Harriet Wadeson writes that one reason art can be so articulate is that it shows simultaneous and complex relationships in space -- portraying many feelings and connections all at once in a way that linear verbal language cannot (Wadeson, 2010).

Art-making engages your sense of touch in a way that can reignite old forgotten memories or experience. For example, squishing clay can evoke memories of childhood, and could bring up unresolved feelings from that time period.

Art-making can prompt a "flow" state in which you are so in the zone that time seems to fly by (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990). Decisions can seem effortless and from an intuitive place. In my opinion, flow state is so powerful because it accesses personal intuition and empowerment -- interacting with a sense of self that is 100% authentic.

Art materials are powerful -- I've said this before, but it's so important. Art materials range in their fluidity and how difficult they are to control. More fluid materials, for example like paint or wet clay, are thought to be more "affective" -- meaning they can prompt the release of intensely held or protected emotions (Lusebrink, 1990). For someone who has a hard time expressing sadness, for example, the fluidity of painting with watercolors might catalyze engagement with this constricted emotion.

Disclaimer -- this can get intense! Sometimes you may not be ready to experience something that was unconscious, or may need help processing what newly conscious feelings may mean. This is where an art therapist can be incredibly helpful. Read more about what art therapy is, and how to find a therapist.

﻿Art-making can help define personal identity

​If you choose to access it, the imagination is a wide open valley full of images, characters, and archetypes that symbolize your lived experience. Parsing out deep unconscious symbols through art-making can be intensely meaningful and personally illuminating.

One beautiful example of this is Carl Jung's Red Book. The Red Book is Jung's a visual journal in which he documents his thoughts and visual responses to his engagement with his imagination. Jung was able to define figures through this process that represented different parts of his self, and actually engaged with these symbols in meaningful ways.

Maybe that is a little far out there for some. Simply put, art-making is personal symbol-making, and creating personal symbols can help create meaning in life.

Dr. Bruce Moon (2007) believes that, "all artworks are metaphoric depictions of the people who create them." From this perspective our artworks reflect who we are and what we are going through in meaningful ways. If we choose to interact with these symbolic mirrors, we can gain real insight into our own experience.

Imagine I ask three different people to draw a tree. The first person draws a pine tree with needles scattered at its base. The second draws a cherry blossom full of bright blooms settled on a cliffside. The third person draws an autumn tree with leaves just starting to turn yellow. Each of these people have different experiences and emotions leading them to the moment that they drew this tree.

Asking these people to draw a tree prompts them to consciously or unconsciously address themes of growth, change, life, death, and environment. For one person their tree might be symbolic of a fresh start after an experience that left them feeling bare. For another person, their tree might represent a tree they used to climb as a child and a significant moment or relationship in their life. For someone else it could mean the start of a new career venture. In any case a single symbol can be deeply evocative and personally significant. Expressing these symbols visually can be both empowering and releasing, helping to clarify the different parts of self and experience.

This is an example of the kind of process-oriented work that we use in art therapy.

With the right intention, art-making can help define your understanding of your self, your emotions, and your place in this big wide universe.

Art-making can help heal emotional wounds.

It can feel markedly safer (and often more articulate) to express traumatic or difficult experience through metaphor than through verbal communication. Expressed color and shape have the capacity to evoke the intensity of emotional experience. Art can show how something felt, rather than just tell the facts of what happened.

Our culture is primarily focused on finding "happiness." Emotions seen as "negative" or "weak" (like sadness, anger, and fear) are often pushed down and away from consciousness in an effort to appear "okay" or "stable." For some people it can be hard to feel these emotions, and can seem impossible to express them. Creative expression can be a means to begin to access and work with these emotions if given the allowance and intention.

There are a million reasons why art-making helps heal trauma. Here are a few:

Post-traumatic art-making can help awaken shut-down emotions, and help contain overwhelming ones. Art-making can encapsulate a difficult experience into an object or image outside of one's self (Malchiodi, 2015).

When you make art, you get to decide what goes where, what color things will be, how things will look. -- in many circumstances it can be healing to have artistic control when the rest of your life or experience feels out of your hands. Therapeutic art-making is inherently a judgement-free process, providing space for empowering authentic expression (Steele & Malchiodi, 2012).

The repetitive, rhythmic, and tactile nature of art-making is regulating and calming for a traumatized nervous system (Gaskill & Perry, 2014; Chapman, 2014). For people with traumatic experience, the body can react with intense fear responses in everyday situations. The creative process can help rewire the brain to manage these emotions effectively. This is a huge topic, but perhaps we will revisit this in a future post.

Finally, art-making canempower people to live in the wake of traumatic experience.

Creativity is for everyone, but please reach out to a therapist or art therapist if you need help processing what comes up.​

Here's the point...

You are a person with all kinds of emotions and experiences. Art-making is good for your existential spirit because it can articulately express what it means to be you in this body in this moment. Art is the process of expressing intangible experience into tactile form, which can be profoundly healing.

​Creating can help give meaning to your life if you let it.

You might be thinking, okay but how do I even start? Stay tuned for our next post, which will give you some approachable ideas to get your creativity flowing at home! ​​

Gaskill, R., & Perry, B. (2014). The neurological power of play: Using the neurosequential model of therapeutics to guide play in the healing process. In C. Malchiodi & D. Crenshaw (Eds.), Creative arts and play therapy for attachment problems (pp. 178-194). New York, NY: Guilford Press.

Hey! You are Human! You are Creative!

As an art therapist, I help people explore their emotional lives through visual expression. Maybe I witness this more than most, as I watch people make art for a living, but I have seen people transform through art-making. I know how powerful creating can be in people's lives.

I also often hear people definitively deny their ability to create.

How often have you heard someone (or yourself!) say "I can't draw" or "I'm not creative"? I hear this all the time both professionally and in my everyday life. Many people have lost confidence in even the possibility that they are creative. In a therapy session we can work with these beliefs, but I truly think this is a wider issue in our culture. I have a lot of feelings about it....

​This 3-part blog series on Intentional Creativity will cover some thoughts I've had on:

Why adults avoid creating

Why making things is important and good for you

How you can empower yourself to find your creative mojo​

Okay, this series title: "Intentional Creativity," what am I talking about? Isn't everything we do "intentional?"

What I mean here is the process of deciding to create with the intention of engaging with the self -- Creating for the sake of you.

What I am not talking about is creating art with the intention of creating a product for others to evaluate as good or bad. The difference here is in the purpose of the creating.

So now you know what I mean and do not mean, let's get into it.

​Let's just get this out of the way right now. Humans are creative as a species. You are a creative person.

​I've never met a person who was not capable of creating meaningful expressions.

​By nature of having thoughts in your head and feelings in your soul, you have the capacity (and likely the need) to create.

And when I'm referring to "creating" and "art" what I'm talking about is not only visual 2D art, but also making music, expressing through movement, writing, poetry, gardening, cooking.... I often reference 2D art in my examples, but there are so many ways to express if you allow yourself to get to know your self. ​We'll get back to this later.

"But, I'm Bad at Art"

As Dr. Brene' Brown states,"there is nothing more vulnerable than creativity." And she is absolutely right. Creating art can turn you inside out a bit, showing others not only what you are capable of, but what your true experience is internally. But think about what gives your life meaning -- maybe things like falling in love, applying for your dream job, starting a new endeavor, having children, etc. These are all incredibly vulnerable experiences! To do something that feels vulnerable means you are doing something you care about deeply.

If you've ever uttered the words, "I'm not an artist" or "I can't draw" or "I'm bad at art," likely you've had some experience of creative shaming in your past.

What I mean here is that somewhere along the line, someone might have told you that your art wasn't "good." Sometimes this happens in very subtle ways -- Maybe a parent was dismissive when you were very proud of a creation. Maybe a friend told you your picture of a cat looked like a dinosaur. Maybe you had an older sibling who everyone said was "good" at art, and the silence around your own art meant that you were "bad" at it. Whatever the case, because our art is so personal, we sometimes interpret these criticisms as personal inadequacies.

There's a narrative in our culture that some art is "bad" and other art is "good." There's also a narrative that some people are just "good" at art and others aren't. There is a lot written on this subject, but I think what most people really mean here is that some art is "marketable" while other art is not. To consider yourself an "artist" in our culture, people expect you to have perfected a medium, and to be producing in that medium with the general public validating that your products are "good."

Sometimes people look at art and think, "well, my kid could have done that." Sure! They probably could have, and likely would have enjoyed the freedom and messiness of making it. And you could have as well! That's really the amazing thing about creating. Anyone can do it -- What is relevant is whether you enjoy the process and that it is an authentic expression. ​​

"But Art is for Kids..."

﻿Nine times out of ten, when I tell people I am an Art Therapist (if you're wondering what Art Therapy is click here), people often assume that I only work with kids. (I work mostly with adults). Recently I've started to wonder why exactly that is...

Why is it so hard for many adults to imagine making art? And especially the thought of making art in front of another human being!

Here's the thing. As humans, we have a deep need for storied imagery. People understand that children learn and develop through play and imagination. Until kids lose confidence in their art abilities, nearly all children express themselves visually and delight in the feel of the art materials on their fingers. But what happens to our imagination and ability to play as we become adults?

We see the world in light and color. We imagine the future. We clearly love consuming images and stories through media and entertainment. Yet in our culture so often we only express our experience through words in everyday conversation.

There seem to be a lot of reasons adults don't feel comfortable making art. One reason is that many adults likely have not touched an art materials since they were children. They believe their art is at a "child's level" and there is some embarrassment around showing others what they see as an inadequacy. This is very related to both creative shaming (mentioned above) and the intense vulnerability related to expressing artistically.

There's something else though, and this is important. Art materials are powerful. Maybe that sounds silly to you at first, but it's true. The visual and tactile sensation of running chalk across a page can connect you with your early remembered experiences of making art, and you can feel emotions you haven't felt in many years. Some of these feelings may be related to early feelings that are asking to be looked at. It's an amazing tool that I use with people as an art therapist, but this can be scary sometimes for adults and can cause them to retreat from art. More on the power of creating in our next blog post.

Making art is vulnerable and can be scary, but as an adult, you get to use art materials intentionally, to help you let loose, destress, connect with your emotions and inner child, and PLAY.

Sometimes this is overwhelming and you might need help sorting through all of your history and emotions. Consider looking for an art therapist to help you! For ideas on how to consciously look for a therapist check out this blog post.​

Here's the Point:

You are creative!

Creating can be vulnerable, but aren't most worthwhile things?

Art-making/Creating is for adults too!

Art-making is powerful and can be used intentionally to help explore emotions and identity.

Successful art is a true expression, not something "good" or "bad" aesthetically.

And for today I'll leave you with this question:

​Instead of asking if the art(ist) is good or bad, can we please ask instead if the art(ist) is expressive? Is the creation meaningful? Does the art evoke someone's experience of the world? In this case, even a stick figure can be considered successful. Even a swath of color on canvas.

Feel free to leave your thoughts or questions in the comments! I will always respond. ​​In the next part of this series we will look at the physical, cognitive, emotional, and spiritual benefits of creating. Basically: Why make art?

So, you've decided to find a therapist...

Great! Realizing you don't have to navigate challenges alone and actually asking for help is a great accomplishment. Thank yourself for investing in your emotional wellbeing!

If you are already feeling stuck in the depths of depression or grief, or experience intense anxiety, actually finding a therapist can be a stress in itself. Sometimes past relationships and attachments make it very difficult to trust a new person, especially with personal history and feelings.

Know that therapists are trained to understand this and should only expect you to open up at your own pace.

​So where to start?! Hopefully this post will give you some tools to begin with on your search!​

1. What is your intention?

So before you start your search, take a moment to reflect on what it is you are actually looking for. Likely you know the general reason you would like support -- whether you feel stuck in depression, or trapped in anxious thoughts, or are coping with the loss of a loved one, or whatever may be going on in your life -- but think about what are you hoping will change in therapy?

Maybe your goal is to reconnect with your partner? To improve your self understanding and explore your identity? To allow space and support for yourself in grief? Perhaps you are looking to understand your emotions better and how you express them? Maybe you would like to learn skills to cope with intrusive or self-deprecating thoughts, and also understand why they are happening? Maybe free write a bit on the topic and see what happens. Trust that you already know what it is you need.

​Not only will your new therapist likely ask you about goals,but identifying them at the outset can help you be specific when reaching out to a potential therapist. Asking goal-oriented questions can help you better determine if a particular therapist will support you in actualizing those goals. Further, it will give you agency in your own healing process.

And if defining a goal feels like too much for you at this point, that's okay as well -- just move on to #2.

2. Where to start looking?

While the best recommendation is often word-of-mouth, you can find a lot about a potential therapist from the internet. Here are some sites that offer directories of therapists in any area:​

PsychologyToday.com-- Psychology Today is a great resource to quickly search for therapists in your area. You can search for therapists that specialize in specific challenges (i.e., depression, relationship issues, addiction, etc), by zip code, by theoretical orientation (i.e., trauma-focused, art therapy, cbt, etc.), by insurance, etc. Each therapist has a profile space for their bio and contact information to help connect you to them easily.

Goodtherapy.org-- A similar site with a great directory of practitioners. Fully searchable with filters!

Google-- I know, this one seems obvious. But, even if you find a therapist on one of the directories above (or elsewhere), google them! Check out their websites. See if they've written any academic articles or blogs. Sometimes you can even find videos of the therapist lecturing or speaking. See if you can get a sense of them through their online presence.

If you are comfortable looking outside of the internet, ask people you trust!

If you are religious, and finding a therapist that is familiar with your religion is important to you, consider asking your pastor, rabbi, imam, etc. for a therapist recommendation. Therapists specializing in Transpersonal Counseling are trained to respectfully help you explore your spirituality (if you wish) in session. To learn more about Transpersonal Counseling click here!

Sometimes your primary care provider will have a trusted referral to give you!

​This is just a starter list, but hopefully it will get you going. Below are more things to be aware of as you search!

3. What are all these credentials?

Sometimes it is challenging to understand a therapist's training just by looking at the letters behind their name. I've had so many people ask me the difference between a RP, LPCC, LPC, Psy.D, MD, etc. Sometimes practitioners have more than one set of letters behind their name! It can be very overwhelming!

To make things more confusing, these licenses vary by state, and so you may see other credentials in others states. ​I'll break it down for you (as it pertains toColoradopractitioners):

Registered Psychotherapist (RP): In the state of Colorado, Registered Psychotherapists are not required to have a master's degree (or any training whatsoever) to practice psychotherapy. Strange? Yes, but true. This fact does not necessarily mean that a RP is a bad choice for a therapist (I know some excellent RP practitioners) -- just double check that they have a master's degree or some other relevant training. People with RPs are often students or recent graduates, or have some other applicable training or specialty. RPs cannot prescribe medication, but can work in conjunction with a psychiatrist if necessary.

Licensed Professional Counselor Candidate (LPCC): These are folks who've completed their master's degree in counseling, and are in the process of completing 2 years of clinical experience, with external supervision by a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). LPCCs often offer slightly cheaper rates for sessions, and are still master's level practitioners, but have less years of experience than an LPC would. LPCCs cannot prescribe medication, but can work in conjunction with a psychiatrist if necessary. ​

Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC): LPCs have a master's degree in counseling, and have completed 2 years of supervised experience and a licensure examination. This is the highest level of licensure a master's level counselor can receive in Colorado. LPCs cannot prescribe medication, but can work in conjunction with a psychiatrist if necessary.

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT): LMFTs have a master's degree specifically in marriage and family counseling, and so often focus on couples and family therapy. These practitioners are also licensed to practice individual psychotherapy and may emphasize the role of family and social systems in an individual's life. An LMFT has completed a certain number of supervised clinical hours and a licensure examination. LMFTs cannot prescribe medication, but can work in conjunction with a psychiatrist if necessary.

Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW): LCSWs have completed a master's degree in social work and are licensed to provide counseling to individuals as well as social work. LCSWs focus on providing clients with resources and connections necessary for functioning, and also are trained to provide social-emotional support as well. LCSWs cannot prescribe medication, but can work in conjunction with a psychiatrist if necessary.

Psychologist (Psy.D): Psy.D's have a Doctorate in Psychology and have often also completed master's degrees in counseling or psychotherapy. Psy.D's have extensive training in assessment and diagnosis, and often have a focus on evidence-based practices in psychotherapy. A Psy.D cannot prescribe medication, but can work in conjunction with a psychiatrist if necessary.

Psychiatrist (MD or O.D.): Psychiatrists, also sometimes known as Psychopharmacologists, have a medical degree and can prescribe psychotropic medications. Some psychiatrists also practice psychotherapy, though many exclusively prescribe medications.

Sometimes, therapists will have a second or third credential behind their name. These often indicate specialties such as Registered Art Therapist (ATR), Registered Dance/Movement Therapist (R-DMT), or Certified Addictions Counselor (CAC).

These are but a few examples of common credentials, as there are too many to account for here. If you come across letters you don't know, google it!

4. Ask for a free consultation

The effectiveness of therapy is so dependent on the comfort and trust in the relationship between a client and therapist. Whether or not you are a good fit with a therapist on an interpersonal levelisequally as important as their training and qualifications. That means it's very important to actually make phone or in-person contact with a therapist (or a few!) when considering a practitioner.

Most therapists offer at least a free 30-minute consultation to new clients. Take advantage of this and shop around till you find someone you really connect with! Your mental health is too important to settle for a therapist you don't jive with.

When you consult with a new therapist think about what questions you might have for them. Therapists will often ask you generally why you are coming to therapy, your history with therapy, and if you have and specific things you are looking for. Don't be afraid to ask them about their approach, training, and experience. You are interviewing them for a job!

Most importantly, ask yourself if you feel you could open up to this person. Sometimes it's a slow process to trust, but you will get the most out of therapy with someone who you feel safe with.

Remember: Trust your gut!

So, set an intention, do some research, and find someone who you like! And at the end of the day, be brave and trust your gut. You know yourself and what works for you better than anyone else. Give a therapist a try and see how it goes.

​The first time I picked up a video camera I was ten years old, directing a film called Step-by-Step Mummification for a class project. These were the days before youtube and I had an enormous over-the-shoulder VHS camera. In an effort to explain mummification, my friend and I wrapped my brother in toilet paper and I removed his "internal organs" that I had sculpted out of clay. ​

I didn't know it yet, but that was the first day of my journey towards becoming an Art Therapist.

My friends and I would get together to create hilarious, embarrassing, and completely cathartic cinematic expressions, working through the intense strangeness that was adolescence. We made videos making fun of our parents, impersonating celebrities, and just being totally zany kids.

​We tried out different personas on screen and different roles in the production process. Looking back, these videos are a beautiful snapshot into the formative years of our individual identities, even if they make us cringe a bit to re-watch as adults.​

The Power of Storytelling

The beginnings of my identity began with a passion for images and a hunger for storytelling. I loved being behind the camera, setting up aesthetically beautiful shots, and using imagery to say something unique. I worked very hard to get into film school and began to create images with others. I wanted to be a documentary cinematographer, traveling the world telling visual stories.

Film school helped me develop these artistic skills, but more importantly, I discovered my real passion was in helping others tell their stories.

I ended up working on an independent documentary film after graduation that allowed me to work with Holocaust survivors -- people who had experienced some of the worst trauma imaginable. I learned the value of personal storytelling, and the healing potential of creative imagery. This is the foundation of Art Therapy.

​Creating images in relationship

Filmmaking, my first love, ultimately led me to what I consider my life's calling, Art Therapy. Documentary filmmaking and Art Therapy have in common the idea of collaborative visual communication. I went to graduate school for Art Therapy to learn to use this powerful creative medicine to help others communicate their deep personal images and transform ​their lives.

In a nutshell, Art Therapy supports self- and interpersonal awareness, trauma processing, and identity formation through client art-making and personal storytelling in session with an Art Therapist. No art experience necessary.

I have worked with elders at end-of-life, grieving families, anxiety across the lifespan, adults with childhood trauma histories, distant couples, teens developing self-esteem, and children with attachment challenges. Just like the strange and expressive films of my childhood, I work with others to express themselves visually and verbally, working through emotional challenges, and strengthening personal identity.Call or Email me to schedule a free consultation to see if we would be a good fit!

Open Mind Holistics LLC is an integrative healing arts clinic run by Sarah Klein, MA, LPCC and Isaac Hoft, MSOM. We provide mind-body-spirit therapeutic modalities to individuals and couples in the Ft Collins area. We supporthealththrough a holistic and integrative practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine and art-based counseling.